Main page Compare countries Index countries Index fields

Query:
Jah-Jah.pl / Index countries / Benin (2003) - Bolivia (2003) / Compare countries
##ciekawa_strona##

Compare Benin (2003) - Bolivia (2003)

Compare Benin (2003) z Bolivia (2003)

 Benin (2003)Bolivia (2003)
 BeninBolivia
Administrative divisions 12 departments; Alibori, Atakora, Atlantique, Borgou, Collines, Kouffo, Donga, Littoral, Mono, Oueme, Plateau, Zou 9 departments (departamentos, singular - departamento); Chuquisaca, Cochabamba, Beni, La Paz, Oruro, Pando, Potosi, Santa Cruz, Tarija
Age structure 0-14 years: 47% (male 1,668,817; female 1,638,291)


15-64 years: 50.7% (male 1,739,517; female 1,834,231)


65 years and over: 2.3% (male 67,504; female 93,130) (2003 est.)
0-14 years: 37.1% (male 1,624,366; female 1,562,501)


15-64 years: 58.4% (male 2,452,892; female 2,561,873)


65 years and over: 4.5% (male 172,292; female 212,519) (2003 est.)
Agriculture - products cotton, corn, cassava (tapioca), yams, beans, palm oil, peanuts, livestock (2001) soybeans, coffee, coca, cotton, corn, sugarcane, rice, potatoes; timber
Airports 5 (2002) 1,081 (2002)
Airports - with paved runways total: 1


1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2002)
total: 12


over 3,047 m: 4


2,438 to 3,047 m: 2


1,524 to 2,437 m: 5


914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2002)
Airports - with unpaved runways total: 4


2,438 to 3,047 m: 1


1,524 to 2,437 m: 1


914 to 1,523 m: 2 (2002)
total: 1,069


over 3,047 m: 1


2,438 to 3,047 m: 3


1,524 to 2,437 m: 64


914 to 1,523 m: 225


under 914 m: 776 (2002)
Area total: 112,620 sq km


land: 110,620 sq km


water: 2,000 sq km
total: 1,098,580 sq km


land: 1,084,390 sq km


water: 14,190 sq km
Area - comparative slightly smaller than Pennsylvania slightly less than three times the size of Montana
Background Present day Benin was the site of Dahomey, a prominent West African kingdom that rose in the 15th century. The territory became a French Colony in 1872 and achieved independence on 1 August 1960, as the Republic of Benin. A succession of military governments ended in 1972 with the rise to power of Mathieu KEREKOU and the establishment of a government based on Marxist-Leninist principles. A move to representative government began in 1989. Two years later, free elections ushered in former Prime Minister Nicephore SOGLO as president, marking the first successful transfer of power in Africa from a dictatorship to a democracy. KEREKOU was returned to power by elections held in 1996 and 2001, though some irregularities were alleged. Bolivia, named after independence fighter Simon BOLIVAR, broke away from Spanish rule in 1825; much of its subsequent history has consisted of a series of nearly 200 coups and counter-coups. Comparatively democratic civilian rule was established in the 1980s, but leaders have faced difficult problems of deep-seated poverty, social unrest, and drug production. Current goals include attracting foreign investment, strengthening the educational system, resolving disputes with coca growers over Bolivia's counterdrug efforts, continuing the privatization program, and waging an anticorruption campaign.
Birth rate 43.15 births/1,000 population (2003 est.) 25.53 births/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Budget revenues: $377.4 million


expenditures: $561.8 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (2001)
revenues: $4 billion


expenditures: $4 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (2002 est.)
Capital Porto-Novo is the official capital; Cotonou is the seat of government La Paz (seat of government); Sucre (legal capital and seat of judiciary)
Climate tropical; hot, humid in south; semiarid in north varies with altitude; humid and tropical to cold and semiarid
Coastline 121 km 0 km (landlocked)
Constitution December 1990 2 February 1967; revised in August 1994
Country name conventional long form: Republic of Benin


conventional short form: Benin


local long form: Republique du Benin


local short form: Benin


former: Dahomey
conventional long form: Republic of Bolivia


conventional short form: Bolivia


local long form: Republica de Bolivia


local short form: Bolivia
Currency Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (XOF); note - responsible authority is the Central Bank of the West African States boliviano (BOB)
Death rate 13.65 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.) 7.91 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Debt - external $1.6 billion (2000) $5.9 billion (2002 est.)
Diplomatic representation from the US chief of mission: Ambassador Wayne NEILL


embassy: Rue Caporal Bernard Anani, Cotonou


mailing address: 01 B. P. 2012, Cotonou


telephone: [229] 30-06-50


FAX: [229] 30-06-70
chief of mission: Ambassador David N. GREENLEE


embassy: Avenida Arce 2780, San Jorge, La Paz


mailing address: P. O. Box 425, La Paz; APO AA 34032


telephone: [591] (2) 2430120, 2430251


FAX: [591] (2) 2433900
Diplomatic representation in the US chief of mission: Ambassador Cyrille Segbe OGUIN


chancery: 2124 Kalorama Road NW, Washington, DC 20008


telephone: [1] (202) 232-6656


FAX: [1] (202) 265-1996
chief of mission: Ambassador Jaime APARICIO Otero


chancery: 3014 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008


telephone: [1] (202) 483-4410


FAX: [1] (202) 328-3712


consulate(s) general: Miami, New York, and San Francisco


consulate(s): Washington, DC
Disputes - international two villages are in dispute along the border with Burkina Faso; much of Benin-Niger boundary, including tripoint with Nigeria, remains undemarcated, but states accept 2001 arbitration over disputed Niger River islands; several villages along the Okpara River are in dispute with Nigeria; in 2001, Benin claimed Togo moved the boundary stones - joint commission presently resurveying the boundary continues to press Chile and Peru to restore the Atacama corridor ceded to Chile in 1884; Chile demands water rights to Bolivia's Rio Lauca and Silala Spring
Economic aid - recipient $342.6 million (2000) $588 million (1997)
Economy - overview The economy of Benin remains underdeveloped and dependent on subsistence agriculture, cotton production, and regional trade. Growth in real output has averaged a stable 5% in the past six years, but rapid population rise has offset much of this increase. Inflation has subsided over the past several years. In order to raise growth still further, Benin plans to attract more foreign investment, place more emphasis on tourism, facilitate the development of new food processing systems and agricultural products, and encourage new information and communication technology. The 2001 privatization policy should continue in telecommunications, water, electricity, and agriculture in spite of initial government reluctance. The Paris Club and bilateral creditors have eased the external debt situation, while pressing for speeded-up structural reforms. Bolivia, long one of the poorest and least developed Latin American countries, made considerable progress in the 1990s toward the development of a market-oriented economy. Successes under President SANCHEZ DE LOZADA (1993-97) included the signing of a free trade agreement with Mexico and becoming an associate member of the Southern Cone Common Market (Mercosur), as well as the privatization of the state airline, telephone company, railroad, electric power company, and oil company. Growth slowed in 1999, in part due to tight government budget policies, which limited needed appropriations for anti-poverty programs, and the fallout from the Asian financial crisis. In 2000, major civil disturbances held down growth to 2.5%. Bolivia's GDP failed to grow in 2001 due to the global slowdown and laggard domestic activity. Growth picked up slightly in 2002, but the first quarter of 2003 saw extensive civil riots and looting and loss of confidence in the government. Bolivia will remain highly dependent on foreign aid unless and until it can develop its substantial natural resources.
Electricity - consumption 631.1 million kWh (2001) 3.634 billion kWh (2001)
Electricity - exports 0 kWh (2001) 3 million kWh (2001)
Electricity - imports 376 million kWh (2001) 9 million kWh (2001)
Electricity - production 274.3 million kWh (2001) 3.901 billion kWh (2001)
Electricity - production by source fossil fuel: 14.2%


hydro: 85.8%


nuclear: 0%


other: 0% (2001)
fossil fuel: 44.4%


hydro: 54%


nuclear: 0%


other: 1.5% (2001)
Elevation extremes lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m


highest point: Mont Sokbaro 658 m
lowest point: Rio Paraguay 90 m


highest point: Nevado Sajama 6,542 m
Environment - current issues inadequate supplies of potable water; poaching threatens wildlife populations; deforestation; desertification the clearing of land for agricultural purposes and the international demand for tropical timber are contributing to deforestation; soil erosion from overgrazing and poor cultivation methods (including slash-and-burn agriculture); desertification; loss of biodiversity; industrial pollution of water supplies used for drinking and irrigation
Environment - international agreements party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands


signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands


signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection
Ethnic groups African 99% (42 ethnic groups, most important being Fon, Adja, Yoruba, Bariba), Europeans 5,500 Quechua 30%, mestizo (mixed white and Amerindian ancestry) 30%, Aymara 25%, white 15%
Exchange rates Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XOF) per US dollar - 696.99 (2002), 733.04 (2001), 711.98 (2000), 615.7 (1999), 589.95 (1998) bolivianos per US dollar - 7.17 (2002), 6.61 (2001), 6.18 (2000), 5.81 (1999), 5.51 (1998)
Executive branch chief of state: President Mathieu KEREKOU (since 4 April 1996); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government


head of government: President Mathieu KEREKOU (since 4 April 1996); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government


cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president


elections: president reelected by popular vote for a five-year term; runoff election held 22 March 2001 (next to be held NA March 2006)


election results: Mathieu KEREKOU reelected president; percent of vote - Mathieu KEREKOU 84.1%, Bruno AMOUSSOU 15.9%


note: the four top-ranking contenders following the first-round presidential elections were: Mathieu KEREKOU (incumbent) 45.4%, Nicephore SOGOLO (former president) 27.1%, Adrien HOUNGBEDJI (National Assembly Speaker) 12.6%, and Bruno AMOUSSOU (Minister of State) 8.6%; the second-round balloting, originally scheduled for 18 March 2001, was postponed four days because both SOGOLO and HOUNGBEDJI withdrew alleging electoral fraud; this left KEREKOU to run against his own Minister of State, AMOUSSOU, in what was termed a "friendly match"
chief of state: President Carlos Diego MESA Gisbert (since 17 October 2003); Vice President (vacant); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government


head of government: President Carlos Diego MESA Gisbert (since 17 October 2003); Vice President (vacant); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government


cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president


elections: president and vice president elected on the same ticket by popular vote for five-year terms; election last held 30 June 2002 (next to be held NA June 2007)


election results: as a result of no candidate winning a majority in the 30 June 2002 election, Gonzalo SANCHEZ DE LOZADA Bustamante was chosen president by Congress; Congressional votes - Gonzalo SANCHEZ DE LOZADA Bustamante 84, Evo MORALES 43; note - following the resignation of the elected president on 17 October 2003, Vice President Carlos Diego MESA Gisbert assumed the presidency
Exports NA (2001) NA (2001)
Exports - commodities cotton, crude oil, palm products, cocoa soybeans, natural gas, zinc, gold, wood (2000)
Exports - partners India 25%, Italy 11.1%, Indonesia 7.4%, China 7.2%, Thailand 6.7%, Brazil 6.1%, UK 4.4%, Niger 4% (2002) Brazil 24.3%, Switzerland 15.7%, US 14.1%, Venezuela 12.8%, Colombia 10.2%, Peru 5.4% (2002)
Fiscal year calendar year calendar year
Flag description two equal horizontal bands of yellow (top) and red with a vertical green band on the hoist side three equal horizontal bands of red (top), yellow, and green with the coat of arms centered on the yellow band; similar to the flag of Ghana, which has a large black five-pointed star centered in the yellow band
GDP purchasing power parity - $7.38 billion (2002 est.) purchasing power parity - $21.15 billion (2002 est.)
GDP - composition by sector agriculture: 38%


industry: 15%


services: 47% (2002 est.)
agriculture: 20%


industry: 20%


services: 60% (2002 est.)
GDP - per capita purchasing power parity - $1,100 (2002 est.) purchasing power parity - $2,500 (2002 est.)
GDP - real growth rate 6% (2002 est.) 2.8% (2002 est.)
Geographic coordinates 9 30 N, 2 15 E 17 00 S, 65 00 W
Geography - note sandbanks create difficult access to a coast with no natural harbors, river mouths, or islands landlocked; shares control of Lago Titicaca, world's highest navigable lake (elevation 3,805 m), with Peru
Highways total: 6,787 km


paved: 1,357 km (including 10 km of expressways)


unpaved: 5,430 km (1999 est.)
total: 53,790 km


paved: 3,496 km (including 13 km of expressways)


unpaved: 50,294 km (2000 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share lowest 10%: NA%


highest 10%: NA%
lowest 10%: 1.3%


highest 10%: 32% (1999)
Illicit drugs transshipment point for narcotics associated with Nigerian trafficking organizations and most commonly destined for Western Europe and the US; vulnerable to money laundering due to a poorly regulated financial infrastructure world's third-largest cultivator of coca (after Colombia and Peru) with an estimated 24,400 hectares under cultivation in June 2002, a 23% increase from June 2001; intermediate coca products and cocaine exported to or through Colombia, Brazil, Argentina, and Chile to the US and other international drug markets; eradication and alternative crop programs under the SANCHEZ DE LOZADA administration have been unable to keep pace with farmers' attempts to increase cultivation after significant reductions in 1998 and 1999; money-laundering activity related to narcotics trade, especially along the borders with Brazil and Paraguay
Imports NA (2001) NA (2001)
Imports - commodities foodstuffs, capital goods, petroleum products capital goods, raw materials and semi-manufactures, chemicals, petroleum, food
Imports - partners China 30.7%, France 15.7%, UK 4.8%, Italy 4.2% (2002) Brazil 22%, Argentina 17.4%, US 15.6%, Chile 7%, Japan 5.5%, Peru 5.4%, China 4.8% (2002)
Independence 1 August 1960 (from France) 6 August 1825 (from Spain)
Industrial production growth rate 8.3% (2001 est.) 3.9% (1998)
Industries textiles, food processing, chemical production, construction materials (2001) mining, smelting, petroleum, food and beverages, tobacco, handicrafts, clothing
Infant mortality rate total: 86.76 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 91.79 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 81.58 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.)
total: 56.05 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 59.75 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 52.16 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 3.3% (2002 est.) 2% (2001 est.)
International organization participation ACP, AfDB, ECA, ECOWAS, Entente, FAO, FZ, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ITU, MIPONUH, MONUC, NAM, OAU, OIC, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMEE, UPU, WADB (regional), WAEMU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO ECLAC, FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO (correspondent), ITU, LAES, LAIA, Mercosur (associate), MONUC, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, RG, UN, UNAMSIL, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIK, UNMISET, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) 4 (2002) 9 (2000)
Irrigated land 120 sq km (1998 est.) 1,280 sq km (1998 est.)
Judicial branch Constitutional Court or Cour Constitutionnelle; Supreme Court or Cour Supreme; High Court of Justice Supreme Court or Corte Suprema (judges appointed for 10-year terms by National Congress); District Courts (one in each department); provincial and local courts (to try minor cases)
Labor force NA 2.5 million
Labor force - by occupation - agriculture NA%, industry NA%, services NA%
Land boundaries total: 1,989 km


border countries: Burkina Faso 306 km, Niger 266 km, Nigeria 773 km, Togo 644 km
total: 6,743 km


border countries: Argentina 832 km, Brazil 3,400 km, Chile 861 km, Paraguay 750 km, Peru 900 km
Land use arable land: 15.28%


permanent crops: 1.36%


other: 83.36% (1998 est.)
arable land: 1.73%


permanent crops: 0.21%


other: 98.06% (1998 est.)
Languages French (official), Fon and Yoruba (most common vernaculars in south), tribal languages (at least six major ones in north) Spanish (official), Quechua (official), Aymara (official)
Legal system based on French civil law and customary law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction based on Spanish law and Napoleonic Code; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Legislative branch unicameral National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale (83 seats; members are elected by direct popular vote to serve four-year terms)


elections: last held 30 March 2003 (next to be held NA March 2007)


election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - Presidential Movement 52, opposition (PRB, PRD, E'toile, and 5 other small parties) 31
bicameral National Congress or Congreso Nacional consists of Chamber of Senators or Camara de Senadores (27 seats; members are directly elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) and Chamber of Deputies or Camara de Diputados (130 seats; members are directly elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms; note - some members are drawn from party lists, thus not directly elected)


elections: Chamber of Senators and Chamber of Deputies - last held 30 June 2002 (next to be held NA June 2007)


election results: Chamber of Senators - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - MNR 11, MAS 8, MIR 5, NFR 2, other 1; Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - MNR 36, MAS 27, MIR 26, NFR 25, others 16
Life expectancy at birth total population: 51.08 years


male: 50.35 years


female: 51.84 years (2003 est.)
total population: 64.78 years


male: 62.2 years


female: 67.48 years (2003 est.)
Literacy definition: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 40.9%


male: 56.2%


female: 26.5% (2000)
definition: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 87.2%


male: 93.1%


female: 81.6% (2003 est.)
Location Western Africa, bordering the Bight of Benin, between Nigeria and Togo Central South America, southwest of Brazil
Map references Africa South America
Maritime claims territorial sea: 200 NM none (landlocked)
Merchant marine none (2002 est.) total: 53 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 347,535 GRT/591,113 DWT


ships by type: bulk 2, cargo 25, chemical tanker 4, container 4, livestock carrier 1, petroleum tanker 12, roll on/roll off 1, short-sea passenger 3, specialized tanker 1


note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of Belize 2, China 2, Cuba 1, Cyprus 1, Egypt 1, Honduras 1, Latvia 2, Liberia 2, Panama 1, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 1, Saudi Arabia 1, Singapore 1, South Korea 3, Switzerland 1, Ukraine 1, UAE 5, US 1 (2002 est.)
Military branches Armed Forces (including Army, Navy, Air Force), National Gendarmerie Army (Ejercito Boliviano), Navy (Fuerza Naval, includes Marines), Air Force (Fuerza Aerea Boliviana), National Police Force (Policia Nacional de Bolivia)
Military expenditures - dollar figure $80.8 million (FY02) $147 million (FY99)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP 2.7% (FY02) 1.8% (FY99)
Military manpower - availability note: both sexes are liable for military service


males age 15-49: 1,597,562


females age 15-49: 1,536,036 (2003 est.)
males age 15-49: 2,118,908 (2003 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service males age 15-49: 805,603


females age 15-49: 809,961 (2003 est.)
males age 15-49: 1,380,883 (2003 est.)
Military manpower - military age 18 years of age (2003 est.) 19 years of age (2003 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually males: 75,021


females: 78,998 (2003 est.)
males: 96,003 (2003 est.)
National holiday National Day, 1 August (1960) Independence Day, 6 August (1825)
Nationality noun: Beninese (singular and plural)


adjective: Beninese
noun: Bolivian(s)


adjective: Bolivian
Natural hazards hot, dry, dusty harmattan wind may affect north from December to March flooding in the northeast (March-April)
Natural resources small offshore oil deposits, limestone, marble, timber tin, natural gas, petroleum, zinc, tungsten, antimony, silver, iron, lead, gold, timber, hydropower
Net migration rate 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.) -1.37 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Pipelines - gas 4,860 km; liquid petroleum gas 47 km; oil 2,460 km; refined products 1,589 km; unknown (oil/water) 247 km (2003)
Political parties and leaders African Congress for Renewal or DUNYA [Saka SALEY]; African Movement for Democracy and Progress or MADEP [Sefou FAGBOHOUN]; Alliance of the Social Democratic Party or PSD [Bruno AMOUSSOU]; Coalition of Democratic Forces [Gatien HOUNGBEDJI]; Democratic Renewal Party or PRD [Adrien HOUNGBEDJI]; Front for Renewal and Development or FARD-ALAFIA [Jerome Sakia KINA]; Impulse for Progress and Democracy or IPD [Bertin BORNA]; Key Force or FC [leader NA]; Presidential Movement (UBF, MADEP, FC, IDP, and 4 other small parties); Renaissance Party du Benin or PRB [Nicephore SOGLO]; The Star Alliance (Alliance E'toile) [Sacca LAFIA]; Union of Tomorrow's Benin or UBF [Bruno AMOUSSOU]


note: approximately 20 additional minor parties
Bolivian Socialist Falange or FSB [Romel PANTOJA]; Civic Solidarity Union or UCS [Johnny FERNANDEZ]; Free Bolivia Movement or MBL [Franz BARRIOS]; Marshal of Ayacucho Institutional Vanguard or VIMA [Freddy ZABALA]; Movement of the Revolutionary Left or MIR [Jaime PAZ Zamora]; Movement Toward Socialism or MAS [Evo MORALES]; Movement Without Fear or MSM [Juan DEL GRANADO]; Nationalist Democratic Action or ADN [Jorge Fernando QUIROGA Ramirez]; Nationalist Revolutionary Movement or MNR [Gonzalo SANCHEZ DE LOZADA]; New Republican Force or NFR [Manfred REYES-VILLA]; Pachakuti Indigenous Movement or MIP [Felipe QUISPE]; Socialist Party or PS [Jeres JUSTINIANO]


note: the MNR, MIR, and UCS comprise the ruling coalition
Political pressure groups and leaders NA Cocalero Groups; indigenous organizations; labor unions; Sole Confederation of Campesino Workers of Bolivia or CSUTCB [Felipe QUISPE]
Population 7,041,490


note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2003 est.)
8,586,443 (July 2003 est.)
Population below poverty line 37% (2001 est.) 70% (1999 est.)
Population growth rate 2.95% (2003 est.) 1.63% (2003 est.)
Ports and harbors Cotonou, Porto-Novo Puerto Aguirre (on the Paraguay/Parana waterway, at the Bolivia/Brazil border); also, Bolivia has free port privileges in maritime ports in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, and Paraguay
Radio broadcast stations AM 2, FM 9, shortwave 4 (2000) AM 171, FM 73, shortwave 77 (1999)
Railways total: 578 km


narrow gauge: 578 km 1.000-m gauge (2002)
total: 3,519 km


narrow gauge: 3,519 km 1.000-m gauge (2002)
Religions indigenous beliefs 50%, Christian 30%, Muslim 20% Roman Catholic 95%, Protestant (Evangelical Methodist)
Sex ratio at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 0.95 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 0.72 male(s)/female


total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2003 est.)
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 0.96 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 0.81 male(s)/female


total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2003 est.)
Suffrage 18 years of age; universal 18 years of age, universal and compulsory (married); 21 years of age, universal and compulsory (single)
Telephone system general assessment: NA


domestic: fair system of open-wire, microwave radio relay, and cellular connections


international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean); submarine cable
general assessment: new subscribers face bureaucratic difficulties; most telephones are concentrated in La Paz and other cities; mobile cellular telephone use expanding rapidly


domestic: primary trunk system, which is being expanded, employs digital microwave radio relay; some areas are served by fiber-optic cable; mobile cellular systems are being expanded


international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Telephones - main lines in use 51,000 (2000) 327,600 (1996)
Telephones - mobile cellular 55,500 (2000) 116,000 (1997)
Television broadcast stations 1;; (2001) 48 (1997)
Terrain mostly flat to undulating plain; some hills and low mountains rugged Andes Mountains with a highland plateau (Altiplano), hills, lowland plains of the Amazon Basin
Total fertility rate 6.04 children born/woman (2003 est.) 3.23 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Unemployment rate NA% 7.6%


note: widespread underemployment (2000)
Waterways streams navigable along small sections, important only locally 10,000 km (commercially navigable)
Sitemap: Compare countries listing (map site) | Country listing (map site)
Links: Add to favorites | Information about this website | Stats | Polityka prywatnosci
This page was generated in ##czas## s. Size this page: ##rozmiar_strony## kB.